Isaac fisicb



@umringt airs strut @ffice valvular arrangements of such instruments as shall increase their range and cihciency,

ISAAGEISKE, or WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

Letters Patent No. 74,331, dated.' February 11, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT TN eoENETS, at.

'lO ALL WHOM IT -MY CONCERN:

Y Be it known `that I, ISAAQFISKE', of yYlorcestcr, in the county of Worcestciy and State of Massachusetts, have invented au `Improvement in-Gornets and other Musical Instruments; hn'd Ido hereby declare that the following, taken in Iconnections-iththe v drawings which accompany*aiid-form part of this specification, is a descrip-tion of my invention suicient'to enable those skilled in the art to practise it.

This invention relates particularly to the construction of that class of wind musical instruments known as corncts.

Letters Patent of the United States were granted to me on the 30th day-of October, A. D. 1866, for certain improvements initllese instruments, and my present invention 'has reference to such modifications of the and improve the quality of4 tone and freedom of action throughout the compass of the scales. 'Y

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the valve-passages with reference to their connections with the pipe, by which, through the valve-passages-and pipes, both in the open and valve-tonos, a continuous wind-passage of uniform diameter, free at all times from sharp turns and corners, is formed.

Also in the construction and arrangement ofl a valve and valve-case, by which the instrument may be changed from one to `another key in such manner that the same quality of tone may be produced in either key, and without increasing the number of crooks or turns in the wind-passage.

The drawings represent a cornet embodyingV my mprovcments=`A and B showing respectively opposite sido i views thereof.

adenotes the bell of the instrument; b, the pipe; c, the mouth-piece; d, the valve-boxes; c, thevalvcstems or rods, working through cylinders j'A containing the springs by which the valves are held in normal position; the general relative disposition and operation of all of these parts, excepting as regards my present improvements, being similar to what is shown in my patent referred to. The valve g of each valve-chamber has two passages, one of which makes a dir ect'and short connection from the section of pipe on one side of the chamber to that on the other, when the valves are in normal position, or in the"open tone, while, when thc valve is partially rotated by the' pressure ofthe finger of the playerupon the valve-stem, the direct connection between the oppositel sections of the pipe is broken, and the wind passes through one valve-passage, around thc crook or extension in the pipe, back to the valve-chamber, and through the opposite passage from the valve, to produce the valve tone.

New, in the'ordinary construction'of the valve, no particular attention has been given either to the form or diameter of these valve-passages, or their disposition with reference to the variation in the quality of tone produced by the passage of air through an angular or a curvilinear passage, it having been considered suilicient if the connections were in any way accomplished, the crooks, sharp angles, and contractions in thc valve passages, producing eddics, making it impossible to produce tones of desirable fullness or even quality. This being a matter of material importance, I so construct each valve as to have each passa-gc therein of uniform diameter throughout, and with the diameter of the sections of pipe connected thereto, and this construction is indicated by the red lines at A, and is further shown in the section through the valves at C. At z' and lc the valves are shown in normal position, or in open tone, making a direct| connection between the sections of pipe Z and m and m and n, the valve-passage making a continuation of the pipe through each valvcchamber, of uniform diameter throughout, and with no change of form or curvatureother than that the curvature of each valve-passage is simplyth'e reverse of that in the sectionsl m 1t. And when the valve-stems are depressed, carrying'these two valve-passages, for instance, into the positions denoted by dotted lines, it will be seen that the same uniform curvature is kept up in the connections made with the pieces op, asis also shown in the valve at q.

This construction greatly improves and equalizcs the quality, richness, the open and in the v alve tones, versa, enabling the tones to be and smoothness of tone, both in 'and with particular reference to changing from open to valve tones, and v'zce forced to the same extent in the valve as in the open tones without producing badeects or blowing the instrumen-t out of tune.

Fon changing the instrument from one .key to another, place in the pipe along valve-cylinder, g, having Connected thereto, ou one side, the main pipes r s, while from the opposite side branch two pieces or bends, t u, one for each key, the valve-chamber Ahaving a valve containing a single passage through each end, by which, by simply turning the valve and locking it in one position, the connection maybe malle from pipe r around pipe i to pipe s; or, by turning it and looking it in the-other position, connection may be made from pipe 1' around pipe u to pipe s, thus enabling the player to change from one to another key without changing his instrument,

and without increasing the number of crooks through which the wind passes, the arrangement enabling him to produce the same quality of tone'in either key.

I claim so constructing and arranging the passages through the valves g, and the sections of pipe connected therewith, that a continuous uniform passage is secured through the pipes and valves for both the open and valve tones, said valve and pipe-passages being not only uniform in diameter, but free from angles, substantially as shovvn and described.

Ialso elaim, iu combinatiomwith the main pipes rs, the valve-cylinder, q, having the two pipes7 tu, branching therefrom, a'nd having its valve so arranged that connection may be made lthrough* either of said branches, therebyenabling the key of the instrument to be changed 'without increasing the croolrs or (letrueting fromthe tone of the instrument.

Witnesses:

HARTLY WILLIAMS,- THEoDonn S. JOHNSON; 

